It’s been 16 years, as of February 2024, since I founded W.R.E. Consulting Services. Here’s how I started my business.
In October 2007, I was a graduate student at Michigan State University working on a Ph.D. in Philosophy. My areas of specialization are social and political philosophy, ethics, logic, and Kant. My areas of competence are ancient philosophy (particularly Plato and the pre-Socratics), 19th and 20th Century German Philosophy, and metaphysics. I’d presented at a few philosophy and political science conferences, I had both a teaching and a research assistantship, and I was a single mom with a 9-year-old kid I’d started homeschooling that spring. It was a lot.
So, in January 2008, I decided I’d pack up and head home to California. I won’t get into the details of all of the decision-making process, but essentially academia was not a good fit for the life I wanted to live. After a month of reflection, I made a list of my skills, and writing and editing were at the top.
Here’s How I Started My Business: W.R.E. Consulting Services
I was that friend who was happy to read colleague’s papers and give them comments. From the time I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to grow up to be a writer. In fact, had I not majored in philosophy, I had wanted to get an MFA in poetry writing and short fiction. I’ve always enjoyed writing and my experiences as both a graduate student and as a graduate assistant taught me how to research efficiently and with a great deal of precision and quality. I figured this was quite marketable, and I began writing with no website, no blog, and no real social media presence to speak of.
From First Gigs to Bright Hub to Over 2000 Articles
The very first pieces I wrote online were for a site called Black Hole Online. I wrote short synopses and reviews of webisodes of various web shows like High Heel Samurai and Break a Leg. Shortly after, I started writing about Project Management, Education, Video Games, Business Ownership, and Microsoft applications on Bright Hub. It didn’t take long for me to start racking up publication credits – and adding to my client list. While I was adding to my freelance portfolio, I was also adding to my client list. I created press releases, training manuals, white papers, and more for a wide variety of clients. I also edited books and dissertations.
Branching Into Content and Social Media Management
I started branching out from ghostwriting and white paper creation to content management and social media management. In addition to having my own blogs, I also help clients with their blogs. For some clients, my sole responsibility is helping them to boost their social media engagement. For others, I help them perform maintenance on older blog posts. For still others, I have created content calendars and put together weekly posts.
You Have to Know Where You’ve Been to Know Where You’re Going
So that’s where I’ve been, that’s how I started my business. It took a while to gain momentum, and it took a lot of being willing to be outside of my comfort zone. I often revisit books I’ve read for professional development. Likewise, I often revisit work I’ve done for ideas of how to move going forward. I look forward to sharing my future goals with you.
